Arisia is a volunteer run, nonprofit science fiction convention founded in 1989. Arisia'18 will be our 29th convention. For the past couple of years, we've had about 4,000 attendees (including volunteers, panelists, and others who help make Arisia be what it is). Arisia describes itself as being
"New England's largest and most diverse science fiction and fantasy convention".

If I have questions, who do I talk to?

Your Dealers Liaison this year is Ed Trachtenberg. The best way to reach him is to send e-mail to dealers@arisia.org.

Is there a Dealers Room this year?

YES!
Please note: There is NO Dealers Row this year.

May I share my space with another vendor?

Absolutely. Discuss it with them ahead of time. You will need
to mention them on your application form and they
will need to mention you on their application form. At least one of you will need to let us know who will be responsible for paying for your shared space.

Tell me about the Dealers Room.

The Dealers Room is an area in a large exhibit space. The
space will be shared mainly with the Con Suite. The Art
Show is upstairs. This area will be secured after hours,
so that our dealers will be able to set up Thursday afternoon
and/or Friday morning and tear down Monday afternoon, without
having to do daily set-up and tear down during the weekend.

The cost is $120/table. Each table is a double 6' by 18" set (giving
the dealer 6’ x 36” of table display space). Dealers who
want more than two tables spaces will have to provide justification
for why they need additional spaces, and they will be granted on a
case-by-case basis. There will be space in the application
form for this justification.

We will, also, provide a small number of 10’ X 10 spaces for
booths. Arisia does not provide booth partitioning nor
pipe/drape decorating. These booth spaces will cost $300 (one sales side)
and $360 for a corner booth (two sales sides).

The cost of a table or booth does not include memberships.

As always, we are limiting the # of tables to be appropriate
for our attendance. We will provide at least one power outlet
per dealer, if you ask for it. If you need more than one,
please bring power strips and/or extension cords. Power
strips and/or extension cords must be of the grounded variety
(3 wire).

The hotel does not have storage areas for boxes or crates, so
packing materials will have to go under the table, or back to
your vehicles.

The Dealer’s Room will be open for you to start moving in at
2pm on Thursday, and at 10am on Friday. All day Thursday
and Friday until 5pm, only people with Dealer Ribbons wiil be
able to get into the Dealers room. You get your Dealers
Ribbons from the Dealers Liaison at the convention.

Proposed Dealers Room Hours are:

Friday 5pm-9pm

Saturday 10am - 7pm

Sunday 10am - 7pm

Monday 10am - 2:30pm

FYI … most programming starts at 10am each day (except Friday)
and the Programming Grid operates on 90 minute blocks.

Dealers Room Questions

What is the lighting like in the Dealers Room?

The lighting in the Dealer’s room is not great. We're
trying to get extra lighting placed around the Dealers Room.
However, if you have readily transportable lights, it's
probably a very good idea to bring them along.

What is the power situation in the Dealers Room?

If you ask for it, we will make sure that your area has an
outlet. We will have at least one power drop per dealer
island/wall-group. It is recommended that you bring at
least one grounded (3 wire) extension cord. If you need
to plug in more than one item, please bring a grounded (3
wire) power strip. Please bear in mind that you will be
sharing power with your neighboring dealers.

Can I get internet in the Dealers Room?

Free internet cannot be guaranteed in the Dealer’s Room.
If Arisia is able to create a room-wide hot-spot
we will notify dealers. Wired internet is available at
$125/drop. Reservations for a wired internet
connection (if desired) must be made NO LATER THAN December 1.

Can I load into the Dealers Room on Thursday?

Yes. We will have security for the room overnight Thursday
night. If you want to load in early, and miss the Friday rush,
we would be delighted to have you do so. We will have the
Dealers Room open for load-in, and a volunteer to door guard
between 2pm and 10pm Thursday. After about 10pm, the room will
be closed to setup, and our security will be guarding it.
Please don’t arrive before 2pm on Thursday as we will
very probably still be in the process of setting up the room.

More Information

What is the process for me to vend at Arisia?

Please fill out the application form, including an
agreement to pay all applicable associated fees to both
Arisia and the hotel, and to abide by Arisia Rules and
Regulations. Please feel free to forward the links to the
Dealers' FAQ and the Dealers' Application Form to any
colleagues that you think would also enjoy vending at
Arisia.

Receive confirmation that we have allocated space for
you. Do NOT proceed to step 3 (Payment) UNTIL you have
received this confirmation.

Payment & Reservations:

Pay your dealers fee ($120/table or $300 per non-corner
booth and $360 per corner booth). If you are
selected to be a vendor at Arisia, payment
instructions will be included with your acceptance
letter.

After 9/30/2016 (for applications completed prior to 9/30/2016), memberships may be purchased (until 12/01/2016)
at the $45.00 rate as follows Dealers may purchase discounted memberships based upon their allocation by the deadline)

Up to 1 membership per table allocated

Up to 2 memberships per non-corner booth allocated

Up to 3 memberships per corner booth allocated

Memberships in excess of this allowance will be
purchased at the rate in effect at the time of
registration.

If you are not certain as to WHO will help staff
your dealer space, memberships may be purchased as
"Minion #n of Company X". Real names MUST
be provided to Registration no later than 12/15/2016.

Reserve a hotel room
(http://www.arisia.org/hotel).
As
the Westin tends to sell out very quickly, you should plan
on booking your room as soon as hotel reservations open.

Confirmation:

Receive confirmation from Arisia Dealers Liaison that
we have received your dealers fee.

Receive confirmation from Arisia Registration that they
have processed your membership registrations.

How much is dealing at Arisia going to cost me?

$120 per table / $300 or $360 per booth. If you are
sharing a table / booth with another vendor, you will need
to decide how that cost will be split.

The cost of your lodgings, whether that is at the Arisia
hotel, another hotel, or with a nearby friend.

The nightly room rate at the Westin will be $162 for a King (single bed)
and $184 for a Double (two beds). Executive Suites, Skyline Suites,
and one bedroom Harborview Suites are $320. Tax for the rooms is currently 14.45%.

This applies to all workers, helpers, children, etc.
regardless of whether or not they plan to attend any
other Arisia events

Both Kids-in-tow and Adults-in-tow require memberships. However,
these memberships are provided at no cost. For a definition of both of these categories,
please see the Registration FAQ Page (http://www.arisia.org/regFAQ).

This membership fee goes up the closer we get to the
convention, so the sooner you know you are vending, the
sooner you can purchase your memberships.

All memberships will need to be purchased through
Arisia registration.

If you have local folk coming to help with set up or
break down who are not staying to work or attend the
convention please contact
dealers@arisia.org
ahead of time so that they can make arrangements so that
your short-term helpers are not turned away at the door.

Your cost for getting you and your stuff to and from
Arisia, including tips for hotel staff who move your stuff
and parking fees.

Your cost for food, and for any other items that you want
to purchase at Arisia, especially from your fellow
vendors.

If you are interested in purchasing an ad in Arisia's
Souvenir Book, contact
ads@arisia.org. The deadline for submitting an ad is October 1, 2016.

What happens if I need to cancel my reservation?

If you must cancel your dealer reservation, notify us as
early as possible.

Refunds will be given ONLY if we are able to resell your
table(s) / booth(s).

NO, you cannot resell / sublet your booth yourself.
However, if you have a person in mind please let us know
who it is and have them fill out the dealer application.

If you have a hotel reservation at the Westin, please
let them know so they can offer your room to the next person
on the waiting list.

There is a full-height covered loading dock, with both a
freight elevator (up 2 feet) and stairs (up 3 stairs) to the
Dealers Room. There is, also, a street-level
freight-only lift available near the loading dock.
Please unload as rapidly as possible and then move
your vehicle to allow other vendors to also unload there.

Adult Items

Dealers Room and the Con Suite are both open to all registered convention members.
The only exception will be an “Adult Only” area where entrance will be limited to persons who are 18+ years of age.

Any materials that are sexually explicit, extremely graphically violent, or otherwise unsuitable
for children MUST be displayed in a manner that keeps kids (any person under the age of 18)
from seeing them. All “naughty bits” (sexual and/or violent) must be covered. If we see it out
in the open, or receive complaints,

If you are selling adult items that cannot be hidden from view (e.g. handcuffs, BDSM toys,etc.)
you will be placed into the Adult Only area. This is a relatively small area (4 - 5 vendors). If you
feel that your merchandise would be best displayed there, please let us know.

If you are selling adult items, you must agree to the
following restrictions:

It is your responsibility to ensure that children do not
have access to any adult items. This can be done by
checking ID before allowing patrons to look in an enclosed
box or area.

Exception: If you are vending from the “adult area (18+)”, adult items may be openly displayed.

The acceptability of displays of adult material is at the sole discretion of the Dealer's Room Coordinators.

If we hear or see that you have adult items which are
easily visible to children, you will receive one warning
(since your definition of adult items may be less strict
than some of our attendees), and will be expected to
rectify the situation immediately after receiving your
warning.

If you require a second warning, Arisia reserves the
right to either mandate _how_ you rectify the situation,
or to close your shop without refund of vending fees or memberships.

Other display considerations:

If you are selling music please provide your customers with headphones
so that they can sample. The Dealer’s Room is too noisy to quietly play music
and expect that it will be heard.

If you are selling fragrant merchandise, please keep it covered and
allow your customers to “sniff” if they want to sample. There are a lot of people
who are allergic to fragrances.

When I get to Arisia, what procedure should I follow?

In no particular order, you will need to:

Unload and then park your car. Please remove your
vehicle from the loading dock area before you begin to set
up your space.

Check in at the registration desk and pick up your
badges. Each person must pickup their own badge.
Registration does not open until 2pm on Friday.

Note: On Thursday evening, Registration is open only for badge pickup
(NO badges may be purchased on Thursday).

Check in at the hotel desk and get your hotel keys if you
are staying at the Westin. Check-in begins at 3 PM.

Find your Dealers Liaison, let us know you are here, get
answers to any burning dealers liaison questions, and
collect your dealers ribbons.

Why are you asking ....

Membership information, if you aren't selling us our
memberships?

So that we can estimate how many Dealers Ribbons we
need, and so that we can check the names you give
against our registration database to make sure you
registered (we may sell out the convention, so it's best
to make sure you buy your memberships early).

Whether we will be open for vending on Monday?

This is a four day convention, and we do NOT want the
Dealers Room looking deserted on Monday morning.
Therefore, dealers who plan to pack up Sunday, or early
Monday before opening will be placed LAST to get tables
and rooms, and may not get a spot.

For us both to check off what we sell and describe what
we sell?

The description will be used for deciding between
applications if we have more applications than spots e.g.
"Both of these folks checked jewelery, but this one has a
cooler description, so they're in.", and in a modified
shortened form, if we have space in the program book, as a
short description below your vendor name.

The description and the check boxes will be used so we
can avoid putting similar dealers next to each other
(except for dealers selling adult items in the adult sales area).

Weapons Sales

Any weapons (real or simulated) sold in the Arisia Dealer’s room must be peace bonded.

The location of the peace bonding station will be announced by the time the dealer’s room is open for business.

All edged weapons (swords, knives, arrows, etc.) must be wrapped in cardboard and securely taped when sold.

Any weapons not peace bonded must be immediately removed from the convention area (brought to the purchaser’s room / vehicle / etc.).

ALL vendors are required to have a MA Sales Tax number
in order to vend at Arisia as we are required to submit
a list of vendors and their tax numbers to the State.

This rule applies whether your business is a MA based business or an out-of-state business.
It also applies even if you are selling only items that are tax exempt. If you are a tax exempt
business (e.g. 501(c)3) you must submit your tax exempt number.

This rule applies whether your business is a MA based
business or an out-of-state business. It also
applies even if you are only selling items that are tax
exempt.

If you are an out-of-state vendor (or are unfamiliar with the MA sales tax rules) you should read:
A Guide to Sales and Use Taxes (you'll need Adobe
Acrobat to read it). For more information on Massachusetts
taxes, see the Department of Revenue
web site or call: (617) 887-MDOR
(or in state: (800) 392-6089).

To find out what weapons are not legal to carry in
Massachusetts see
Mass. General Laws Chapter 269, Section10
(search for paragraph (b) in the middle).
Basically if it is more dangerous than a Koosh Ball(TM),
then it's probably illegal. Some of the things banned by
the state are: any knife having a double-edged blade, dirk
knife, any armband made with leather which has metallic
spikes, nunchaku, ....

The hotel contract says that bumper stickers and any
other sort of sticker may not be distributed at the
convention, so no free stickers advertising your business.